Intense Bidding Marks Conclusion of Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League Season 2 Auction
Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League Season 2 Auction Highlights
The Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League (UPKL) wrapped up its second season player auction in Noida on November 5, showcasing fierce competition and significant player acquisitions.
Featuring 12 franchises and a total budget of Rs 1.70 crore, this event marked a pivotal moment in UPKL's ambition to establish itself as India's premier state-level league across all sports. The auction presented 500 players, including national athletes, rising stars, and promising newcomers.
Among the highlights was the introduction of the new franchise, Gazab Ghaziabad, joining established teams like Aligarh Tigers, Kanpur Warriors, and Purvanchal Panthers, thus expanding UPKL's roster to twelve teams, as stated in a UPKL press release.
All franchises actively participated in the auction, with notable bids indicating the increasing market value of kabaddi talent in Uttar Pradesh. The Aligarh Tigers made headlines by acquiring Vinay Tevathia for Rs 5.90 lakhs, making him the highest purchase of the day.
Following closely was Nitin Panwar, who was bought by Ganga Kings of Mirzapur for Rs 4.45 lakhs, and Ashu Singh, who joined Noida Ninjas for Rs 4.35 lakhs. Other significant purchases included Shubham Kumar at Rs 3.20 lakhs by Kanpur Warriors and Abhimanyu Raghuvanshi at Rs 2.95 lakhs by Awadh Ramdoots.
The defending champions, Lucknow Lions, successfully retained key players from their championship squad, including Arjun Deshwal, Vivek Chaudhary, Arpit Saroha, and Mohd Amaan, ensuring a mix of experience and stability as they aim to defend their title.
Commenting on the auction's conclusion, Sambhav Jain, Founder and Director of SJ Uplift Kabaddi, remarked, “UPKL has positioned itself as a strong league in kabaddi and within India's sports landscape. The league has created unprecedented value for players and franchises, providing a platform for talent to flourish and exemplifying the essence of grassroots sports. The auction featured strategic and competitive bidding, resulting in well-balanced teams. We look forward to an exciting season ahead and are dedicated to enhancing the visibility that kabaddi deserves.”
The auction also revealed the Broadcast Partner for UPKL's next three seasons, announced by Former IAS Awanish Kumar Awasthi, an advisor to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Notable attendees included renowned Indian kabaddi player and UPKL brand ambassador Rahul Chaudhary, Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi Association Rajesh Singh, and UP Kabaddi Federation's Vinay Kumar Singh.
UPKL Season 2 is set to feature 71 matches, commencing on December 25, 2025, in Noida, under the league's tagline “Apna Bharat, Apna Khel – Khel Raha Hai Mera Pradesh.” All matches will be broadcast live on Zee Sports and ZEE5.
Full Team Line-up – UPKL Season 2
Aligarh Tigers
Vinay Tevathia (Rs 5.90L), Kunal Bhati, Akshya Rathi, Prince Sharma, Aniruddh, Manish Kumar, Anuj, Rajat Panwar, Anas Khan, Vashu, Uday Patel, Praveen Chaudhary, Mayank Singh, Vipin Kumar
Awadh Ramdoots
Abhimanyu Raghuvanshi (Rs 2.95L), Ravi Bhati (Rs 1.90L), Aryadeep Deshwal, Krishan Nagar, Pawan Bhati, Saurabh Singh, Ashish Bhati, Vinod Thakur, Divyanshu Gujjar, Naman Chaudhary, Sourabh, Sandeep Varun, Vishal Yadav
Brij Stars
Lucky Dhankar (Rs 1.55L), Vishal Chaudhary (Rs 1.41L), Robin Chaudhary (Rs 1.05L), Himanshu Chaudhary, Mukul Chaudhary, Yash Kumar, Arjun Singh, Ankit Chaudhary, Somveer, Nikhil Chaudhary, Shivam Sharma, Nikhil Tevathiya
Ganga Kings of Mirzapur
Nitin Panwar (Rs 4.45L), Ashish Nagar, Shivam, Ajay Malik, Amit Nagar, Gaurav Giri, Gaurav Bansal, Aditya Kumar, Raj Sahani, Yadav Udit, Anant Rana, Himanshu Malik, Sameer Hussain
Gazab Ghaziabad
Anil Kumar (Rs 2.25L), Harsh Dhaka (Rs 1.71L), Ronak Singh (Rs 1.00L), Uday Dabas, Abhishek Pandey, Arpit Chahal, Aman Pawar, Aman Rana, Shaurya Singh, Hariom, Vipul Chaudhary, Gopal Sharma
Kanpur Warriors
Shubham Kumar (Rs 3.20L), Azad Singh (Rs 2.60L), Vivek Kumar, Ayush, Himanshu Deshwal, Vinay Baliyan, Vikram Pratap, Abhishek Kumar, Ankit Yadav, Hunny Kumar, Raghav Salaklan, Anuj Kumar Yadav, Dev Chaudhary
Kashi Kings
Sahul Kumar (Rs 1.35L), Arjun Sirohi, Prashant Kumar, Vikul Lamba, Harendra Kumar, Dhananjay Kumar, Shrikant Tewathia, Vikrant Tomar, Sumit Tomar, Sonu, Vipul Chaudhary, Deepak Kumar
Lucknow Lions (Defending Champions)
Arjun Deshwal (Rs 3.10L) (Retained), Vivek Chaudhary (Rs 1.00L) (Retained), Arpit Saroha (Retained), Akash Nain, Nishant Raghuvanshi, Rahul Nain, Mohd Amaan (Retained), Ujjwal Panwar, Vibhor Datt, Kunal, Arya Deshwal, Kartik Baliyan, Harish Kumar Singh
Noida Ninjas
Ashu Singh (Rs 4.35L), Rachit Yadav (Rs 2.05L), Manjeet (Rs 1.00L) (Retained), Ajay Kumar Yadav, Navneet, Alok Kumar, Krishan Mavi, Ayush Kumar, Anand Yadav, Rajdeep Kumar, Sachin Kumar, Shaurya Pratap Singh, Abhishek Yadav
Purvanchal Panthers
Lalit Chaudhary (Rs 2.10L), Suraj Tomar (Rs 1.76L), Bhanu Pratap Tomar (Rs 1.15L), Nigam Chaudhary, Shakti Chaudhary, Shivam Teotia, Hritik Rathi, Vinay Khatiyan, Sachin Kumar, Vijay Gaun, Aakash Saharawat, Rohit Tomar
Sangam Challengers
Shivam Singh Tomar (Rs 2.60L) (Retained), Pankaj (Rs 2.55L) (Retained), Manish Kumar, Goutam Singh Tomar, Nishant Baliyan, Mayank Malik, Tushar, Suraj Nain, Aditya Panwar, Rajiv Chaudhary, Harshit, Anubhav Tomar
Yamuna Yoddhas
Ritik Sharma (Rs 1.20L) (Retained), Abhishek Singh (Rs 1.20L) (Retained), Lalit Sharma, Abhishek Panwar, Ajay Rathi, Ujjwal Nagar, Vinit Nain, Nitin Solanki, Aman Solanki, Lakshya Chaudhary, Ronak Rana, Himanshu Choudhary.